Fly-killer.



gl. P. HALL 6L C. F.. FIELDS.

l FLYMLLER. I APPLICATION FILED DEC. |515. EENEWED MAR. 23, 19.18.

1,286,894.' I Y PatentedV Dc. 3, 19l8.

A TTOR/VE YS i FFI@ JOI-IN PORTER HALL AND CLAUDE F. FIELDS, OFCALDWELL, IDAI-IO; SAID FIELDS ASSIGNOR T0 SAID HALL.

FLY-KILLER.

Specification of Letters Patent. v Pafiggnted De@ 3, 1918,

Application led December 8, 1915, Serial No. 65,739. Renewed March 23,1918. Serial No. 224,347. y

T0 @ZZ fr0/7mm t may concern Be it known that we, JOHN PORTER I-IALL andCLAUDE F. FIELDS, citizens of the United States, and residents ofCaldwell, in` the county of Canyon and State of Idaho, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Fly-Killers, of which thefollowing is a specification. A

Our invention relates to insect destroyers, and more particularly to iiykillers, or what are generally termed swatters, and has for its objectto provide a simple, cheap and eiicient means for destroying commonhouseflies, which are now believed to be the predominant carriers anddisseminators of disease.

Another object is to produce a fly killer that is durable and strong andone which is not easilybroken or destroyed even by violent and constantusage.

With these and other objects in view, our invention consists in certainnovel features of construction, arrangement and combination of parts aswill be fully described and pointed out in the claims, reference beinghad to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is a perspectiveview of our device as in use;

F ig. 2 is a partial plan view of the same;

Fig. 3 is a transverse section on line 3-*3 7of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a side elevation;

Fig. 5 is a detail section on line 5-5 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 is a plan view of a modification.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 10 represents the strikingmember of the device and is composed of ordinary wire screen material,such as is generally used for window screens. A blank of the screenmaterial of suitable size of substantially rectangular shape is used andthe .side edges are folded or doubled as shown at 11 in Fig. 5, forminga thickened border for the main or body portion.

A handle member 12 is provided, made of a single piece of wire of about14 gage, said wire being bent to form a resilient coil at 13 and thenextended in two parallel limbs a suitable distance, then diverging as at14. The ends are then bent at an acute angle as at 15 and threadedthrough the screen fabric, first passing through the reinforced borders.l1 and having undulations 16 passing alternately above and below theplane of the fabric in opposite directions toward each other andpractically `meeting at the center line of thebody portion, forming atransverse brace. l

- The portions of the fabric between the brace and the handle proper arebent over the diverging arms 14 closely embracing the same and thenfolded inwardly in a double fold lying against the under surface of thefabric, where they are held by staples or other suitable fastening means18 passing through the folded portions of the body of the fabric.

The handle proper is given a slight curvature in the direction of itslength, as indicated in Fig. 4, thus facilitating the easy picking up ofthe device from a flat surface upon which it may be lying.

The double folding of the side edges reinforces the killer or swatter sothat the edge does not become easily frayed and also adds greatlyr tothe strength and longevity of the device.

The ends of the handle by being threaded through themesh'es of the wirefabric forms a brace at the'place where the greatest strik- 1ng `forceis usually applied and also permits the wire fabric Vto roll on the wireends of lthe handle and tends to prevent breakage or crystallization ofthe wire fabric.

The coil 13 at the end of the handle member tends to keep the side barsof the handle l,apart and also to force the diverging portions 14outwardly to maintain the fabric of the body portion in a stretched andtaut condition.

The undulations in the wire prevent the slipping of the fabric from theends of the handle wires.

In Fig. 6 we have shown a modification in which the handle portiondiffers from that shown in Figs. 1 and 2, in that the wire bar is bentto form a triangular shaped end portion, the base 16a of which isthreaded through the screen fabric and the sides 14a having the fabricfolded thereon and secured to the body portion by staples or rivets 18apassed through a card or label 19 with advertising or printed matterthereon, as plainly shown in Fig. 6.

From the apeX of the triangular portion the wires are closely twistedtogether, forming a shank or tang 12a, which is firmly secured in awooden handle 20, The body portion of this form of swatter isthe same asthe first described form, that is, the side edges are folded over toreinforce the same.

It will be observed that in both forms the predominant features arepresent. That is, a main body portion of generally rectangularconfiguration, a triangular portion connecting the rectangular portionwith the handle member, and a transverse brace member threaded throughthe wire fabric and constituting the base of the triangular portion, andthat the handle portion possesses resiliency and elasticity.

Ne claim:

l. A fly killer consisting of a striking member of wire fabriccomprising a rectangular portion, a handle member consisting ofa wirebent to form a triangular frame the base of which is threaded throughthe wire fabric of the rectangular portion of the striking member fromedge to edge, the side edges of the fabric folded over the bars formingthe oblique sides of the triangle, means for rigidly securing the foldedover edges to the body ofthe fabric within the triangle, and a handleproper projecting from the apeX of the triangle.

2. A fly killer consisting of a striking member of wire fabric and ahandle portion, said handle portion composed of wire bars and forming atriangular frame, the base bar of the same having undulations andthreaded through the meshes of the wire fabric from edge to edge. y

3. A fly killer consisting of a striking sheet of wire cloth and a Wirehandle attached to said sheet, the attaching end of said handle having atriangular formation and the base bar of said triangular end beingthreaded through said sheet between the ends thereof, and the handle endcorners of said sheet being extended about the diverging bars of saidtriangular end and fastened, whereby said sheet will be secured to saidhandle throughout the triangular outline of said handle end.

t. In a fly killer, a single sheet of wire cloth forming a strikingmember, a handle, said handle having a bar threaded through said sheettransversely of its length and between its ends and nearer to the handleend of said sheet than the free or striking end thereof, and thatportion of the sheet projecting toward the handle from said bar beingsecured to the handle.

5. A fly killer consisting of a striking member of wire fabric and ahandle portion, said handle portion consisting of wire bars in the formof a substantially triangular frame, and the base bar of Vsaid framebeing threaded through the fabric between the ends thereof, and meansforsecuring that end of the fabric nearest the handle portion beyond saidbar to said handle portion.

6. A fly killer consisting of a striking portion of wire fabric and ahandle portion, said handle portion having a part thereof threadedthrough said fabric between the ends of the latter, and means forsecuring that end of the fabric nearest the handle portion to the latterat points beyond that part of the handle threaded through said strikingportion.

JOHN PORTER HALL.

CLAUDE F. FIELDS. Witnesses:

MAUDE COX, F. D. MUMroRD.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

